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Howard Smith - Was a part of the Winans'
original group - The Testimonial Singers - before it became the Winans. He was a background vocal for Andraé
Crouch on a few albums, and is the male vocalist singing "We Are Not Ashamed", and sings Scott Smith's song, "Set Free". Andraé Crouch credited him on the 2006 Stellar Awards for helping him discover The Winans (although they had been released
at least one album as The Testimonial Singers). Howard Smith has two solo albums, Totally Committed (Light
Records) and Seasons Change (Howard Smith Music). His album, Totally Committed, was Grammy and Stellar Award
nominated. He has done projects with artists such as Fred Hammond, Kenny Loggins, Billy & Sarah Gaines, Tim Bowman, Margaret
Bell, Daryl Coley, and others.
Andraé Crouch -
like a mentor of the Winans. He helped to guide them through the production of their first album. He is one of the most influential
and most known people in gospel, making many uplifting and joyful albums.
Keith Crouch - nephew of Andraé Crouch,
played drums on the Winans' debut album, Introducing the Winans, and on a few tracks (notably "The Question
Is") from Heart & Soul (which he also produced a few of the songs from).
Bill Maxwell - producer of the Winans first
3 albums (Introducing the Winans, Long Time Comin', and Tomorrow) and played the drums on
their album Decisions, he also did horn arrangements. He has also been a producer and drum-player on the albums
of Helen Baylor, Andraé Crouch, Keith Green, Richard Smallwood, Vickie Winans, Daryl Coley, and others.
Scott V. Smith - co-produced the Winans
first 3 albums, as well as some of the albums of Andraé Crouch and others. He has worked Howard Smith, Alejandro "Alex" Acuña,
Tata Vega, Paul Jackson, Jr., Linda McCrary-Campbell, and others. He also has at least one album, which includes The Winans
and BeBe Winans as guests.
Dean Parks - Guitar
player; played on the Winans' album Decisions, has also played for Andrae Crouch and others
Quincy Jones - Co-producer of all of the
Winans' original Qwest Records and Warner Brothers Records albums. He is a well known artist, producer, arranger, author,
and musician, who has done a large amount of things, from releasing albums, to doing soundtracks, producing TV shows, and
releasing an autobiography.
Barry Hankerson - co-producer of the Winans' albums
from Qwest and Warner Brothers' records. He is the uncle of the late R&B artist Aaliyah.
Benny Medina - producer of the Winans' album
Tim Bowman
One of the
Winans' Musical Directors, plays the guitar, has also done background vocals on albums such as Let My People Go,
on songs like "Choose Ye". He has also played for and worked with a variety of artists, such as Ben Tankard, Vickie
Winans, Men of Standard, Percy Bady, Barry Hankerson, and Commissioned. He was a lead instrumentalist with
the Winans for about 8 years, and more. He has three albums, and has recently appeared on Ron Winans Presents
Family & Friends V: A Celebration.He is the brother of Vickie Winans.
His Albums: Love Joy
Peace (1996), Paradise (1998), Smile (2000), This Is What I Hear.
His Song "Summer Groove" from This
Is What I Hear is a favorite of mine.
Paulinho Da Costa - played as a percussionist
for the Winans on albums Let My People Go, and Return. He is Brazillian-born and was very much in demand
during the 70s for his skills. He has played with a LARGE number of artists like Alex Acuña, Dissy Gillespie, Paula Abdul,
Aaliyah, Anita Baker, Rubén Blades, Peabo Bryson, Andraé Crouch, and more.
Alejandro "Alex" Acuña - Played percussion
for the Winans on their album Decisions. He is an accomplished Peruvian percussionist and drummer who has played
with the likes of Weather Report, Helen Baylor, Etta Fitzgerald, Justo Almario, Harry Connick, Jr., Daryl Coley, Andraé Crouch,
Bobby Enriquez, Keith Green, Los Lobos, U2, The Yellowjackets, Robbie Williams, and MANY more.
Justo Almario - plays the saxophone and the flute.
He has appeared on a few of The Winans' albums, as well as the albums of Helen Baylor and others.
Abraham "Abe" Laboriel - bass guitar player
for the Winans on their albums Let My People Go and Decisions. He has two albums and has played the
bass for artists like Andraé Crouch, BeBe & CeCe Winans, Joe Sample, Lionel Ritchie, Michael McDonald,
Al Jarreau, Chaka Khan, Quincy Jones, Helen Baylor, Justo Almario, Alex Acuña, Grover Washington Jr., and
MANY, MANY others.
Vanessa Bell Armstrong - sung with the Winans
on the album Let My People Go's first track, "Choose Ye", and also on their "Live In Concert" Video (1987, Reubenbarry
Records), She is an accomplished singer who, like the Winans, is also from Detroit.
Anita Baker - Sung with the Winans on the
Grammy-winning song "Ain't No Need To Worry", from the album Decisions. She is a smooth R&B singer, who has made
many albums.
Doug and Melvin Williams - two brothers
who are a part of the group The Williams Brothers, they sung as background vocals on the
Winans' Grammy-winning single "Ain't No Need To Worry". The Williams Brothers have since formed their own recording
company, Blackberry Records, which features and has featured many different artists.
Michael McDonald - baritone vocalist who
appeared on two of The Winans' singles, "Love Has No Color" (from Decisions), and "Tradewinds" (from All Out).
He was a member of the Doobie Brothers until 1982, when he pursued a solo career.
Fred Hammond -
sung background vocals on The Winans' album Decisions; a member of the group Commissioned.
Steven Ford - he was the musical director
for the Winans for a while, around the time of the Return video and Live At Carnegie Hall, playing the keyboards
and synthesizers. Has has done projects for other artists such as: The Williams Brothers, Donnie McClurkin, The McClurkin
Family, Richard Smallwood, Vickie Winans, The Straight Gate Mass Choir, John
P. Kee, The Mighty Clouds of Joy, Maurette Brown-Clark, Shirley Caesar, and many others.
Skip Pruitt
Saxophone player
on The Winans' album Live At Carnegie Hall. He has also played with Commissioned on the songs "Please You More",
and "Please You More (Interlude)". He has also played with The Clark Sisters.
Thelma Houston - sung with The Winans on the soundtrack
of the motion picture Lean On Me (Warner Brothers, 1989), starring Morgan Freeman, Robert Guilliame, Beverly Todd,
and Jermaine Hopkins, and directed by John G. Avildsen.
Lafayette Carthon Jr. - Played keyboards
for the Winans on the album All Out, and on the Return video. He has also played for artists as BeBe and CeCe Winans,
Vickie Winans, Michael Jackson, Celine Dion, Carlton Pearson, Michael Bolton, Anita Baker, Changing Faces, Brian McKnight,
The Isley Brothers, Ron Winans Family and Friends Choir, Kenny Elderidge and The Celebration Choir and more.
Lanar "Kern" Brantley - played bass on the
Winans' albums Decisions, Return, and also on the Winans' Return Video. He helped compose the track
"Gonna Be Alright" from Return.
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| The Winans, with Stevie Wonder in the Center |
Stevie Wonder - a very popular recording artist,
known for his Motown recordings, singing, harmonica playing, production, arranging, drumming, ... He appeared on The Winans
album Return in 1990 on the song "Everyday The Same" singing a solo and playing the harmonica. The Winans also
appeared on his album Conversation Peace in 1995.
Leroy Hyter - co-wrote The Winans' hit ballad
"When You Cry" along with Carvin Winans, which features Kenny G.
Kenny G - appeared on the Winans' album Return,
played the saxophone on "When You Cry". Kenny G is a popular saxophone player, and solo artists as well.
Percy Bady - keyboardist, synthesizer player,
and background vocal for The Winans, on Let My People Go, and the Return video. He has also done work with
BeBe & CeCe Winans, Milton Brunson and The Thompson Community Singers (a.k.a. The Tommies), Darius Brooks, Ray Bady, Tyrone
Block, DeLeon Richards, Marvin Sapp, Fred Hammond, R. Kelly, Donnie McClurkin, Joe Pace & the Colorado Mass Choir, and
many more, working on songwriting, producing, engineerng, and more.
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| Guy (from L to R): Damian and Aaron Hall, Teddy Riley |
Aaron Hall and Damion Hall - brothers who
appeared on The Winans Return video. Only Aaron Hall was featured on the actual Return album, on the
song "A Friend". They are both members of the group Guy, along with Teddy Riley, and are both solo artists as well.
Teddy Riley - Did much work on the album
Return, and appeared on its video as well. He produced and sung on the album's first, and possibly most popular track,
"It's Time", which was made into a music video, along with the single "A Friend". He is seen as the King of New Jack
Swing. He has produced, and engineered in large amount of songs, for artists such as Heavy D, Michael Jackson,
Blackstreet, Keith Sweat, Mary J. Blige, Foxy Brown, Karen Clark-Sheard, Whitney Houston, Joe, Jay-Z, Kool Moe Dee, MC Hammer,
N'SYNC, and many more.
Bernard Belle - produced the Winans album
Return, and worked with Teddy Riley
Michael Williams - played drums on the Winans'
album Return, a member of the gospel group Commissioned.
R. Kelly - was a vocalist, producer, and
instrumentalist on The Winans album All Out. He is very famous and popular in the music world for his many number
one hits, and for landing more Top-40 hits in the 90s than any other male solo artist. He has worked with a lot
of artists such as Aaliyah, B2K, Mary J. Blige, Kirk Franklin, Ginuwine, Michael Jackson, Janet Jackson, Jennifer Lopez, Kelly
Price, Trin-I-Tee 5:7, Gerald LeVert, and others.
Wayman Tisdale - appeared on "Payday", from
the Winans' album All Out. He is a basketball player as well as a solo artist.
Lalah Hathaway - sung with the Winans on
the song "It's Not Heaven If You're Not There", from The Winans' album All Out. She has also appeared on the albums of Joe Sample and Take 6. She is the daughter
of Donny Hathaway.
Kenny Loggins - sung on the song "Love Will
Never Die", duetting with Carvin Winans on The Winans' album All Out.
Cedric "Ced C" Caldwell & Victor "Vic C" Caldwell
- A brother-brother team that produced some of the songs on the Winans' album Heart & Soul. Cedric
Caldwell is also the husband of Angie Winans, and the three have done many projects together. In addition to
production, they also play the instruments, mix, engineer, and arrange songs. They have an album out, called As We
Bop. They have done projects with a large amount of Gospel artists, such as Percy Bady, Darwin Hobbs, Donnie McClurkin,
Paul Jackson Jr., Marvin Sapp, Take 6, Kelli Williams, and more.
George Duke - a keyboardist and producer
for The Winans on their album Heart & Soul. He is mainly a jazz artist who has made many albums since 1966. He
has done projects with many artists such as The Commodores, Miles Davis, Take 6, Anita
Baker, Pahlinho DaCosta, Michael Jackson, Al Jarreau, Joe Sample, Kirk Whalum, Deniece Williams, as
well as the album Handel's Messiah: A Soulful Celebration album released in 1992.
Kenny Greene - producer on the Winans' album Heart
& Soul, which was released in 1995. He was a background vocal on the first track "Paradise".
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